My latest Welgar and Ossani story, "From the Ashes" is in the July issue of Savage Realms Monthly

My latest Welgar and Ossani story "From the Ashes" is in the latest issue of Savage Realms Monthly.

This is a direct sequel to the last story in my collection Welgar the Cursed published by Tule Fog Press last year. 

This year has already seen two Ossani the Healer stories: "The Moneylender of Oriaska" and "Ossani's Apprentice" in Swords & Heroes Quarterly #2. 

Another Ossani story will be in the Fall issue of Cirsova magazine which will be out shortly: "Ossani's Escape". 

 

 

Half Page Ad Booked for the last issue of Cirsova magazine

 

We have just booked a half page ad for Parallel Universe Publications' sword and sorcery books in the next (and final) issue of Cirsova, which will also include one of my stories, "Ossani's Escape."

Cirsova - which includes my story Ossani's Escape

The next (and unfortunately final) issue of Cirsova magazine will be published this Fall. I have just seen the cover for the first time.

I am currently enquiring about placing a half-page ad for Parallel Universe Publications' sword and sorcery books in it.  

My story is "Ossani's Escape", which will be the fourth Ossani story to be published this year. His previous tales were:

"The Moneylender of Oriaska" and ""Ossani's Apprentice", which both appeared in Tule Fog Press's Swords & Heroes Quarterly #2.

His third story is in the new issue of Savage Realms Monthly, which is due out any time now: "From the Ashes", which reunites him with Welgar the Cursed. 

"Ossani's Escape" actually takes place prior to all these tales.  

A detailed review of Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 10

I missed seeing earlier a rather good, detailed review of Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 10 on amazon.

Click on the image to get an enlarged version. 

 

"From the Ashes" to be published in Savage Realms Monthly #46 in August 2026

I am now awaiting the edits on my story "From the Ashes" which will appear in the next issue of Savage Realms Monthly.

This will be my third story in this esteemed magazine.

The first was "The Carpetmaker of Arana" in the May 2022 issue

The second was "The Dark Priestdom" in the March 2023 issue.

"From the Ashes" includes two of my ongoing characters, Ossani the Healer and Welgar, and follows immediately from the end of my collection Welgar the Cursed, published by Lyndon Perry's Tule Fog Press last year.

It's also the third tale involving Ossani to be published this year, with a fourth coming out in the Fall issue of Cirsova. The previous two, "The Moneylender of Oriaska" and "Ossani's Apprentice" were in Swords & Heroes Quarterly #2.

The Farmhouse reprinted in the latest issue of Schlock! Webzine

 

The latest issue of Schlock! Webzine includes an oft reprinted copy of my second professional sale back in 1971, a short story called "The Farmhouse", which was first published in New Writings in Horror & the Supernatural edited by David A. Sutton for Sphere Books. This anthology was reprinted in 2013 by Dave's Shadow Publishing as Horror Under the Tombstone and was again reprinted last year in New Writings in Horror & the Supernatural Omnibus by PS Publishing.

The story's first reprint was in Stuart David Schiff's magazine Whispers in 1973. Then in the hard cover anthology First World Fantasy Awards published by Doubleday in 1977, edited by Gahan Wilson.

A German version of Dave Sutton's anthology, titled Solo fur einen Kannibalen appeared in 1976, with my story retitled "Der Eroberer".

Two unauthorized Italian reprints occurred in 1989 and 1995 - Horror Story 2 from Garden Editoriale, and Horror Story n. 16 from the same publisher.

I reprinted it myself in the collection Their Cramped Dark World (Hazardous Press, then Parallel Universe Publications) in 2015.

It is also, of course, included in my The Collected SF, Fantasy & Horror Stories of David A. Riley Volume 1 - 1970-2010. 

A strangely popular story.

Updated cover for Swords & Rockets - Tales of Futures Past

 

Swords & Heroes Quarterly #2 is now available in print

This latest collection of Swords & Heroes Quarterly features eight more tales by seven writers, including a double feature by me.

Stories include: 

Dark Assassin by Bruce Durham 

The Cold Maiden’s Visit by Elí Freysson 

Hell-Wings by B. Harlan Crawford 

Four Bloodstained Souls by Matthew Ilseman 

In the Valley’s Veins by Jacob Calta 

The Sorcerer Weaves Magic in His Sleep by David Carter 

The Moneylender of Oriaska by David A. Riley 

Ossani’s Apprentice by David A. Riley

It's available from amazon.

A third Ossani story will be in print soon in the Fall issue of Cirsova, "Ossani's Escape". 

And a fourth is due to be published in a future issue of Savage Realms Monthly: "From the Ashes". 

Ossani previously appeared in

"The Storyteller of Koss" - Summer of Sci-Fi & Fantasy, 2022 

"The Troupe" - Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 8, 2024 

"Ossani the Healer and the Beautiful Homunculus" - Welgar the Cursed, 2025 

"Emerging from their Twilit Realms" - Welgar the Cursed, 2025

Other Ossani stories have been written but have yet to be sent out. 

  

Swords & Heroes Quarterly #2 - contains two Ossani the Healer stories

Prior to being made available as a kindle eBook via amazon for $2.99, the ebook of Swords & Heroes Quarterly #2 is available now via Paypal for $2.00. A print version will soon be available ($11 direct/$12 via amazon) https://paypal.com/ncp/payment/YHXUTBPDBNT4U 

This issue includes two of my Ossani the Healer stories: "The Moneylender of Oriaska" and "Ossani's Apprentice". 

There will, coincidentally, be a third Ossani story out in print soon in the Fall issue of Cirsova, "Ossani's Escape". 

Not only that, but there is also a fourth, due to be published in a future issue of Savage Realms Monthly: "From the Ashes". 

Ossani previously appeared in

"The Storyteller of Koss" - Summer of Sci-Fi & Fantasy, 2022 

"The Troupe" - Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 8, 2024 

"Ossani the Healer and the Beautiful Homunculus" - Welgar the Cursed, 2025 

"Emerging from their Twilit Realms" - Welgar the Cursed, 2025

The Collected SF, Fantasy & Horror Stories of David A. Riley Volume 2 2011-2026

 

I am currently proofreading The Collected SF, Fantasy & Horror Stories of David A. Riley Volume 2 2011-2026, which will be published later this year, initially as a hardback and large-sized paperback. 

Like Volume 1 it is just over 500 pages long. At the moment I am up to "Three Eyed Jack", which was originally published in 2020.

Although this book covers a shorter time period than Volume 1 there are more stories, without even taking into account all those sword and sorcery stories I have excluded, like my Welgar tales (recently published in Welgar the Cursed by Tule Fog Press) and my stories of the mercenary captain Horbeck and his companions, which I hope to see published as a loosely-woven novel sometime soon. Plus there are a number of fantasy tales that are scheduled to be published in various places over the coming months. 2011 till now has been a very prolific time for me.  

 

The Collected SF, Fantasy & Horror Stories of David A. Riley Volume 1 - 1970-2010 is now available in hardback, paperback and kindle eBook

Further to the hardback and kindle eBook versions of The Collected SF, Fantasy & Horror Stories of David A. Riley Volume 1 - 1970-2010, we have now published it as a 500-page paperback, packed with artwork and illustrations. 

amazon.co.uk 

amazon.com 

 

 

 

Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 12 is now available as a paperback and kindle eBook

 

Swords & Sorceries; Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 12 is now available as a paperback and kindle eBook.

 

The stories are:

Wall Master to the Late Emperor by Henry Helbog

Twilight’s Four by Phil Emery

Noose and the Fae’s Gifts by Jaap Boekestein

Coldwell: A Stranger Tale by Jay Litwicki

The Altar of Self by Henry Ikechukwu

The Cold Maiden’s Aid by Eli Freysson

Raid on Knorrtuft by J. Benjamin Sanders Jr

Atonement for a Shattered Eye by Frank Sawielijew

Vampires in Moratt by David A. Riley

Where Dwell the Forgotten Men by Jeffery A. Sergent

The Stone Knights by Adrian Cole 

 

The book is 307 pages long.

 

amazon.com 

amazon.co.uk 

Kindle eBook version of Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 12 now available

The kindle eBook version of Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 12 is now available. The print version should be available soon.

amazon.com 

amazon.co.uk 

Gung-Ho Geeks have posted a lengthy, irreverent, frequently funny but also in-depth review of Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 12

Gung-Ho Geeks have posted a lengthy, irreverent, frequently funny but also in-depth review of Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 12, which is to be published at the start of May as a paperback and kindle eBook. 

As a side note, Gundrol Ghonardial, the main character in my story in Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 12, "Vampires in Moratt", appears in just one other story: "Mask of a Mad God" in my collection from Tule Fog Press Welgar the Cursed.